


Fission

by HamHamHeaven



Series: Hidden Bonds [3]
Category: BUCK-TICK, Jrock
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Dragon Hidehiko (Buck-Tick), Dragons, Graphic Depictions of Abused Animal's Injuries, M/M, Magic Wielder Hisashi (GLAY), Magic Wielder Yutaka (Buck-Tick), Magical Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-04
Updated: 2019-10-21
Packaged: 2020-04-07 12:30:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,287
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19085068
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HamHamHeaven/pseuds/HamHamHeaven
Summary: Yutaka has been on the run since the raid of Minister Kikuchi’s manor nearly three months prior.  All of that will change on sunny summer afternoon when, high in a mountain meadow, he comes face to face with his Destiny.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Yutaka couldn’t say exactly when the noise had started, but he first began to pay attention to it about an hour after dawn as he was folding away his bedding: a low rumbling he took to be distant thunder.  The prospect of trekking up a mountain through yet another summer deluge did not appeal to him, and he complained a bit to himself as he tugged on his bag and cloak about the unreasonably high number of storms he’d encountered since fleeing Minister Kikuchi’s manor nearly three months prior. 

As the sun floated higher over the horizon, tinging the wispy clouds in the sky cheerful peach and buttercup, it became obvious that the sound, whatever it might be, was _not_ thunder.  What then – a rock slide?  No, it was far too frequent and enduring to be falling rocks.  And yet, he thought, not nearly constant enough to be the crash of a distant waterfall.

Yutaka continued along the narrow dirt path that wound along the mountain’s face, hood drawn over his head despite the warmth, straining his eyes and ears for any clues as to the noise’s source.  The closer he came to the summit, the louder it grew, becoming interspersed first with an occasional high-pitched whistling and then the hissing of a thousand steaming kettles.

He passed a few other travellers hurrying in the opposite direction.  He nodded politely to the first three, but they barely glanced his way.  That suited Yutaka just fine; the less he was obliged to stop and chat, the fewer lies he’d have to tell.  The fourth person, however, practically barrelled into him as she half-ran half-rolled down the mountainside.

“Not you should go up!” she panted, shaking him by the shoulder with one hand while pointing wildly over her own shoulder with the other.  “There’s… it’s… to be built…!”

Between her wheezing breath and unfamiliar dialect, Yutaka only caught about one word in five.

Construction of some sort?  Could that have been what he’d been hearing?

“What’s being built, Auntie?” he asked, trying to extract himself from her clutches.

 “Not, _not_ you should!” she repeated shaking her head so vigorously he thought she might topple right over and take him with her.

“I’m sorry.  I don’t….”

At that moment, another shrill whistle echoed through the trees, and with a frantic cry, the woman shoved him aside and dashed off as fast as her stubby legs could carry her.  Yutaka leaned heavily against the pine bough that had broken his fall, massaging at his arm where she’d been grasping at him, and contemplated the situation.

Why had she been so insistent that he not go on?  What sort of building would have alarmed her so?  He shook his head.  That didn’t make any sense.  He must have misheard what she’d said.  Her accent was _very_ difficult to understand. 

Should he carry on?

If he didn’t, it would mean a full day’s journey back down until he reached the alternative route – the road he’d avoided specifically because the keeper of the last inn at which he’d stopped for a meal had advised him to use it.  A good, clear road regularly patrolled by the queen’s soldiers to protect honest travellers from bandits.  That description had settled the matter.  The queen’s soldiers were the very last people Yutaka wanted to encounter.

 _I think I’ll at least have a look._   _I can always come back if the way is totally impassable._

He adjusted the pack on his shoulders, straightened his hood, and set off once more.

 

Less than an hour later, the path rounded a sharp bend, evergreens and shrubs giving way to a vast expanse of high meadow in a mosaic of green grasses speckled with white, yellow, and purple flowers.  Yutaka didn’t notice the beautiful landscape, though.  He was too preoccupied staring in horror at the bloody carnage that the frightened woman had apparently been trying to forewarn him.

A massive obsidian dragon – by far the largest living thing Yutaka had ever seen – lay staked out upon the ground, the grass beneath its nickel grey belly scales soaked a sickening rusty crimson.  Huge iron spikes had been driven through each of its paws and its tail, pinioning it to the ground.  Thick metal bands were affixed around its snout and up over the crown of its head, muzzling its jaws shut.  The air hissing through the narrow gaps proved how difficult it was for the beast to draw breath.

Centimetre by cautious centimetre, Yutaka skirted closer, his stomach churning with nausea and rage.  Its eyelids were crusted shut, from what he couldn’t bear to guess.  Its front claws and some smaller teeth lay in a pile nearby, obviously ripped right from the poor animal’s body.  Chains thicker than Yutaka’s forearm criss-crossed over its coils like a fishing net, another wrapped noose-like around its throat, and all were secured at regular intervals to metal hooks plunged into the earth.

This was the sound he’d been hearing all morning.  Not rocks or waterfalls or thunder.  The pained groans of a dragon tortured and left for dead.

“Monsters,” he whispered, tears streaming unnoticed down his cheeks.  “Who could do such a horrifying thing!”

 The instant he spoke, the dragon began to thrash about, struggling weakly against its bonds, clearly exhausted but still alive enough to attempt to protect itself.  Yutaka felt as if his heart might shatter in his chest watching such a magnificent creature floundering so pathetically.  Tossing his pack and cloak aside, he moved nearer, calling to it in a soothing voice:

“Easy now.  I’m not going to hurt you.”

He wasn’t at all sure that the beast would understand him.  Legends claimed that dragons were supremely intelligent, some even attributing to them the ability to speak.  However, that could easily have been exaggeration through centuries of story-telling, and considering Yutaka’s difficulty with the local dialect, it was entirely possible that even if the creature understood some human speech, his words might be nothing but incoherent babbling to it.  Still, he hoped that his tone would be understood whether or not the meaning was lost.

“It’s all right.  Save your strength, Oh-sama.”

Its toes flexed as if it were trying to dig its missing claws into the dirt.  Or into Yutaka’s hide.  It bared its fangs, exposing raw, bloodied gums.  The sheer power of the beast should have petrified Yutaka.  Yet all he could think of was getting close enough to ease its suffering.

“Shh. Calm down.” 

The dragon snarled as Yutaka approached its head and made a quick sort of snapping movement at him.  Of course, it couldn’t open its mouth wide enough to bite through more than a bamboo shoot, but that didn’t make it any less intimidating.

“I won’t let them hurt you anymore,” Yutaka promised.  “You’re safe with me.”

Unable to latch on with its teeth, the dragon gave another jerk of the head, apparently trying to send its imagined attacker sprawling.  Instinctively, Yutaka put out a hand to absorb some of the impact; the moment his palm made contact with the dragon, it stilled.  Yutaka couldn’t be sure, but it almost seemed… confused.

“There, now.  Just relax.  You’ve nothing to fear from me, on my oath.”

He planted an impulsive kiss on the dragon’s snout the way he’d done his father’s horses as a child.  To his utter astonishment and delight, the beast gave a soft whine and rubbed its cheek against his hand.

“Poor thing,” Yutaka exclaimed, gently wrapping his arms around its head as far as he could, headless of the gore.  “I know it hurts.  I’m so sorry.”

He stroked soothingly over the smooth scales at its throat and rougher textures near its horns.  The dragon pressed against his chest, coils wriggling as if it were trying to find a way closer to him, and despite the potential danger, Yutaka found himself longing to be closer as well.

“Let me see if I can just…,” he murmured.

Yutaka closed his eyes and focused on the wonderful thrum of Nature’s magic surrounding them: sunlight warming the earth, birds dancing with the playful breeze, insects industriously buzzing here and there amid the fragrant flowers.  He listened intently to the ragged draw of breath and beat of the dragon’s heart, the honour of having been given such a remarkable gift swelling within him.  He drew all of these things into himself, letting the magic flow out through him to alleviate some of the creature’s misery. 

It gave something like a shudder of relief and sagged in its bonds. Yutaka gave it another apologetic kiss on the bony brow ridge.

“Try to rest,” he recommended.  “I’m going look for something to lever these spikes out with so we can get these wretched chains off you.  Once you can breathe properly, I’ll see about dressing your wounds.”

The dragon gave a raspy grunt which Yutaka took to be agreement and lay quietly.

 

Yutaka’s plan proved easier said than done.  Iron wrought strong enough to restrain a fully-grown male dragon did not yield easily, even to magic, and he soon discovered that the metal had been forged in malice and tempered with evil intentions.  The sun was well past its zenith before he’d managed to release the choke hold and pry open the bands enough to free the captive’s face and throat.

At once, the dragon’s head lolled to one side, mouth agape as it heaved in colossal breaths, lungs working like a pair of bellows.  Yutaka gagged and retched at the sight of the exposed underside of the dragon’s chin and lower jaw stuck full of arrows and spear points like some grotesque mockery of a pincushion.  He’d promised to tend to the beast’s wounds, but there were _so_ many.

_Where do I even begin?_

He pondered for a moment, stroking gently along the big beast’s cheek so that it would know he was still there.

_Eyes, maybe.  If I were in this position, I’d want to be able to see what was being done to me._

That was assuming, of course, that the eyes themselves remained intact.  He recoiled from the thought.  Continuing to murmur calming reassurances, Yutaka retrieved his water flask and cloak.

“Lift your head for me?” he requested, gently pressing near its horn.

Whether the words or the gesture, the dragon seemed to understand; it raised its head about half a meter off the ground, allowing Yutaka to slide his cloak under it.

“There now, that’s fine.  Thank you.  I’m going to clean your eyes, and I’d rather avoid any extra dust getting into them if we can.”

He untied his obi, carefully soaking the cloth with the cool liquid from the canteen.

“Now this may sting,” he warned the dragon, “And I’m sorry if it does.”

Very slowly, he draped the sodden fabric over the creature’s right eye.  It flinched slightly, but otherwise gave no reaction.

“I’m sorry,” murmured Yutaka again, brushing a kiss just below the spike on its forehead.  “We’ll let that sit a few minutes, I think, before I start trying to wipe anything away.  If I were doing this properly, I’d boil the water first with some healing herbs, but I’m not sure whether I have any left, and I somehow doubt that you’re in the mood to wait that long anyhow.”

Once sufficient time had passed, Yutaka wrapped one corner of the obi around his index and middle finger, and began lightly dabbing at the eyelid.  It was puffy and inflamed, the tissue weeping angrily as he slowly cleaned away the henna-coloured grime.

“They threw something in your eyes, didn’t they?” he conjectured.  “Something to blur your vision so you wouldn’t know where the next attack was coming from.”

A low, fierce growl rumbled within the dragon’s massive chest.

“Cowards,” Yutaka spat.  “Spineless cowards.”

His indignation seemed to soothe the dragon; the tension in its muscles released once more, and it pushed up into his hand, apparently urging him on with his task.  Yutaka did just that, diligently working until the eyelids were released from the scab-like crust.  He could see the eyeball rolling about beneath the skin, more filth soon collecting in the corners.

“Keep it closed for now?” he suggested.  “We may want to flush it out once I’ve seen to the other.”

Again, the dragon obeyed him, turning its head a bit so that he could repeat the process on the other eye.  When he’d finished with the second he returned to the first, cleaning away the additional contaminant leaking out from beneath the lids.

“Are you able to open them now?  Or would you rather wait?”

The muscles of the lids fluttered without opening, clenched tightly again, then ever so slowly slid open.  A milky film still lingered around the periphery of both spheres – gold-streaked peridot darkening to deep emerald at the edges of the iris – and the pupils immediately narrowed to tiny slits against the brightness of the light.  Yet, Yutaka surmised that the dragon’s vision remained intact as he found himself pinned beneath the imperious stare of the undisputed sovereign of the mountains.  He had to fight the urge to immediately drop to his knees in awe. 

Very slowly, the dragon stretched out its head toward him.  A tremor of fear ran down Yutaka’s spine despite everything, but he remained where he was.  It pressed its nose against his abdomen.  Yutaka closed his eyes and waited, accepting that if this magnificent creature wanted to disembowel him, exacting its revenge upon him as a representative of the species, it was well within its rights.  Instead, it took a deep sniff, evidently to learn his scent better, and nudged gently at his middle.

Yutaka’s legs finally gave out on him, and he sank to the ground with an undignified squawk.  Its pupils dilated for a moment, and the corners of its mouth turned upward.  If he hadn’t known better, he’d have said that the dragon was smirking.

“Isn’t polite to laugh at people,” he grumbled as he staggered back to his feet and dusted himself off.

A low rumble something between a chuckle and a purr reverberated through the beast as it nosed at him again.

“Yes, fine, I forgive you,” Yutaka allowed, taking for granted that the dragon had actually been communicating with him.  “After all, you’ve been having a miserable day.  If my clumsiness can amuse you a little, I suppose it’s worth it.  Poor dear.”

He took up his water jug again, sipping wearily and considering what he ought to do next.  If he were to remove the metal barbs pinning tail and legs, he hypothesized that the dragon might be able to squirm its way free of the remaining chains without his needing to spend time removing every hook from the ground.  He might have to work a _few_ loose or hold a couple of chains taut to avoid further damage to the dorsal ridges, but that wouldn’t be too difficult. The dragon obviously trusted him, since it had made no further attempts to attack.  Then he recollected the state of its chin and jaw, and the dark blood stains on the grass.  Considering he’d not yet assessed the damage done to its belly, perhaps squirming should be discouraged until further notice.

Yutaka was distracted from his train of thought by the dragon licking at the stray droplets dripping from his mouth.   Shame immediately flooded over him.

“How thoughtless I’m being!  You must be sweltering, laying out here in the sun all day with no water.”

He caressed the smooth scales of its muzzle apologetically.

“I’m sure we’ll be needing a lot of water to rinse out these wounds, too.  I… don’t suppose you could tell me where the nearest brook is?”

Its nostrils flared as it exhaled loudly, and Yutaka could almost believe that the beast had scoffed.

“Well, there’s no harm in _asking_ , is there?” he protested with a laugh.  “I didn’t cross one following the path up here, so… maybe something further along?”

The dragon gave another rough grunt.

“Right.  I’ll go see what I can find, then.”

The creature turned toward him, rubbing its snout rather insistently against his stomach.

“I’ll come back as quickly as I can,” assured Yutaka.

His words had no impact.  Not until he gave it several more kisses on the nose did it relax enough for him to move away.

“As quickly as I can,” he repeated then hastening past his new friend in search of the closest mountain stream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **1)** The woman's warning to Yutaka is “tatsu” 龍, which is the indigenous word for [“dragon”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_dragon), but he misunderstands her to be saying “tatsu" 建つ, which means “to be built”.  
>  **2)** Ō (written Oh in the story) 王 means "king". According to the [Wiktionary](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E7%8E%8B): "The traditional interpretation is that the three horizontal strokes represent Heaven, Man and Earth. The vertical stroke is the king, the one who connects them together." Yutaka is trying to show the dragon he respects it by calling it this.


	2. Chapter 2

Trusting to instinct, Yutaka turned off the well-worn path winding across the meadow and made his way through the high, blossom-filled stalks up the steepest slope toward the mountain’s snow-capped peak.  The summer sun still warmed the air; somewhere among those shadowy recesses and craggy outcroppings below the snow line there had to be water of some sort.  Sure enough, he eventually found a series of shallow streamlets trickling icy snow run-off and followed them along into a deep thicket of brambles that surrounded a pool wide enough to properly fill a cauldron.  Of course, he hadn’t thought to bring a cauldron with him, so he had to transform a hollow stump into a pair of buckets and cut down a thin birch sapling for a carrying pole. 

The longer he was gone, the more agitated he became, eager to return to the dragon’s side and finish liberating it from its shackles.  Its head might be free and its eyes cleared, but it was still incredibly vulnerable.  Whoever had been brutalising the wretched creature _seemed_ to have left the area, but what if their intention was to return once everything had gone quiet.

 _I should have erected some shielding before I left_ , he rebuked himself.

Quickly as he could, he filled his buckets, casting a charm over them to prevent spills, placed the makeshift yoke over his shoulders, and hurried back down the mountain face.  In the distance, the dragon’s still form might easily have been mistaken for a pile of rock jutting up from the grassland.

 _Quiet and still_ , Yutaka reassured himself.  _If anything were wrong, surely it would react the way it did when I first approached.  Unless… they managed to stun it so that it can’t move._

He quickened his pace.

_Everything’s fine.  Surely everything’s fine._

 

Everything was _not_ fine.  As Yutaka drew close enough to distinguish more details, he detected movement among the shadows at the dragon’s leg, something more than insect wings or the swaying of wildflower stems in the breeze.  Movements the dragon itself should not have been able to make given that its feet had still been nailed down when he’d left.  He couldn’t quite decipher what was going on, but instinct had the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end.

“Hey!”

At his shout, the dragon lifted its head from the ground, and an indistinct shape at its side rotated around, revealing that a man swathed in a dark cloak had been kneeling beside the dragon’s right forefoot.  His features were mostly obscured beneath the folds of the garment, but the later afternoon sun glinted off a tri-pronged yari blade sticky with newly-drawn blood in his hand. Cold terror gripped Yutaka at the sight.

“No!”

Heedless of any peril, he heaved off the carrying pole and raced down the slope, flinging every sort of protective spell and defensive incantation his mind could recall at the assailant as he went.  Yutaka was too distraught to take proper aim, and none of them were particularly powerful, the aggressive sort of magic used in combat having never held any interest for him.  Still, had this been an ordinary villain, Yutaka’s magical flurry probably would have been sufficient to scare the man off.  Possibly even to knock him asunder or stun him long enough for Yutaka to properly immobilise him.

The stranger was far from ordinary, however.  Any of Yutaka’s spells that came remotely nigh was adroitly deflected with a casual wave of the hand.  Yutaka’s mind raced even as his feet propelled him forward.

_A magic wielder!_

Although Yutaka had completed his apprenticeship shortly before the raid and was not totally unpractised, his fighting skills would be no match against a seasoned mage.  And if this was the fiend who had forged those manacles, there was no question that his power far outstripped Yutaka’s, to say nothing of his malevolence.  Even so, Yutaka wasn’t about to desert his dragon.

Nor was he going to waste precious time considering when exactly he’d begun considering it _his_ dragon.

Fuelled by panic and guided by luck, a disarming spell went whizzing within millimetres of the ear of the scoundrel, who seemed to take offense to this.  The sinister form lifted his blood-covered hand, pointing the gory weapon in Yutaka’s direction and spoke some unintelligible phrase.  A streak of blue-green flame shot out of the weapon’s tip, and Yutaka had to side-step quickly to avoid being singed.  He turned on his toe, swirling the fire around him in a wide arc and releasing it back toward his attacker like an athlete throwing a hammer, silently praying that dragon hide was impervious to magical fire.

The fire never reached his dragon for his opponent simply opened his mouth and swallowed it down with a mighty gulp.  The menacing figure then raised his arm again, obviously readying for another assault.  At that instant, the dragon gave a loud hiss and closed its jaw around the man’s shoulder and bicep.  Yutaka slackened his pace a bit upon seeing this, waiting for the inevitable shriek of pain.

Only it never came.  The man turned and glared at the dragon, giving it what appeared to be a soft smack on the snout no harder than what a mother cat might give a mischievous kitten.

His voice carried on the breeze as he rebuked:

“Let go, you great oaf.”

To Yutaka’s alarm, the dragon did as bidden.  He couldn’t quite understand it.  Did the dragon not consider the man a danger?  It must be so, for it hadn’t left so much as a scratch behind, releasing its hold with nothing more than another soft hiss and a deep rumbling growl.

“Well, then you should have said as much.  How was I to know!” the stranger declared, brushing himself down fastidiously.

Yutaka barely registered the other mage’s appearance or state of dress, or the way his own chest heaved with exertion.  He had thought for nothing and no one save his dragon – scrutinizing carefully to find the source of the blood and to see whether any further damage had been done.  He soon discovered that the blood was fresh because this newcomer, whoever he was, had been able to remove the spikes that had impaled the dragon’s front feet.  He had also slackened the netting past its shoulders, providing the creature considerably greater manoeuvrability.  It rankled that so much had been accomplished in comparably so short an interval, when Yutaka had been struggling for a better part of the day.

As if sensing his annoyance, the dragon turned its shining eyes toward him, giving a faint whine to urge him nearer.  Yutaka hastened on, circling wide of the stranger, and the dragon stretched out its neck to greet him. It rubbed its cheek against his chest and stomach insistently, snuggling right up to him while making that contented purring sound and bumping him lightly with its nose until he finally took the hint and pressed a kiss to its muzzle.  He completely missed the odd look the stranger was giving them.

“I’m so sorry I wasn’t here,” Yutaka crooned to his dragon.  “He didn’t hurt you, did he?”

“The only pain I caused was incidental to removing those barbs and this spear,” the stranger defended himself, holding out the russet-stained blade and what was left of the shaft to which it was attached.  “It was wedged in the tender area between his foreleg and body.  He’s lucky it didn’t go any deeper, or it might have punctured his heart.”

The idea made Yutaka lightheaded.  He pressed his face against the dragon’s neck, trying to will away the dizziness.

“I suppose I should thank you for removing it,” he offered hesitantly, “And apologize for those shielding incantations I threw at you.  I thought you were the one who had done this come back to finish the job.”

The other man observed him warily.

“I thought _you_ were.”

“I would _never_ do such a thing!” denied Yutaka passionately.

The dragon pressed against him once more, and Yutaka wrapped an arm around its neck as far as he could.

“So I see,” the man replied.

His tone was so laden with insinuation that it made Yutaka think that he _did_ see far more even than Yutaka did himself at that moment.  It was unnerving.

“Wh-what even brought you here,” he interrogated, “If you’re not the one responsible?”

The mysterious stranger bristled at Yutaka’s sharpness, then squared his shoulders and remarked regally:

“I was merely passing by and stopped to see if I could render aid, since someone had apparently left the task half-finished.  Where did you go?” he hurled an accusation of his own.

“I went for water to clean the wounds.”

Yutaka pointed vaguely back in the direction of the buckets he’d abandoned.

“Oh.  There’s plenty of water in the caves,” the stranger waved dismissively.  “When he’s free of all these shackles, sanitizing everything won’t be a problem.”

Yutaka had no idea what cave the man meant, or how he was even aware such a thing existed.  The more the man spoke, the more incompetent Yutaka felt.

“At least now he can have something to drink while we work,” Yutaka grumbled, “Assuming you intend to continue helping.”

The stranger looked startled.

“I certainly _do_ intend.  It’s too much for one person to finish before sunset.” 

Yutaka wanted to retort that he could manage just fine on his own, but the sun _was_ shifting ever nearer the Western horizon, and it would have been selfish to prolong the dragon’s suffering out of his own petulance.

“I… thank you,” he offered with a stiff bow.  “My name is Higuchi Yutaka, by the way.”

“Tonomura Hisashi,” the stranger replied with a bow of his own.

“Where should we start, Tonomura-san?”

Yutaka didn’t relish deferring to the other mage; he still didn’t entirely trust the man.  However he was too polite and too aware of his own inferiority to attempt to take charge himself.  Hisashi didn’t seem to notice Yutaka’s reticence.

“You should fetch that water for him to drink while I see to his back feet.”

The dragon gave a deep, short growl as if in disapproval of this scheme.

“Or _I_ can fetch it,” Hisashi amended with a frown.  “You might try removing that tail spike.  The ground looks relatively soft there, so it ought to come loose fairly easily."

Once again, the dragon voiced its disapprobation with a sharp grunt.

“Fine, fine.  I’m _going_.  Goodness, we are tyrannical today!”

The dragon made its amused chuckling noise as the disgruntled mage tramped off toward the abandoned yoke.  Yutaka hid a giggle of his own behind his hand and pressed another kiss to the dragon’s cheek.

“Thank you for not letting him order me around,” he murmured warmly.

It nuzzled at him in reply.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **1)** I was envisioning something like the [Jumonji yari](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yari#Variations_of_yari_blades) only with a slightly shorter lance. Not something pleasant to be stabbed with under the arm.  
>  **2)** No, this fic isn't finished, but I don't know how long it's going to be, and I hate having that Work In Progress number staring at me like a giant accusation when I'm struggling with writer's block and the associated guilt.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More gruesomeness in this chap. Be warned if you are squeamish.

Upon examination, the spike holding the dragon’s tail in place was actually a square-ish wicket-shaped nail rammed through scale and flesh alike on either side of the vertebral ridge a hand’s length from the larger pair of tail quills.  The sharp tips of the tail barbs were smeared with coagulated blood, proving that the beast had done considerable damage before its attackers had managed to incapacitate it.  Yutaka felt a surge of grim satisfaction, secretly thinking it would serve the fiends right if their lacerations festered and left them suffering as much as his dragon had suffered.

While Yutaka worked his fingers under the metal at either corner, the dragon turned its head as far as it could, craning its neck to watch him work.  Yutaka shot it an apologetic smile before giving the staple a few forceful jerks to draw the long metal shafts from the earth.  Despite his imperious tone, Hisashi had been correct about the ground beneath the dragon’s hindquarters being more yielding, and it soon gave way.  The dragon gave a sudden hiss, clawed toes flexing as it rode out the agony.

“I know.  I’m sorry,” murmured Yutaka comfortingly as the metal stakes came free of the scabs that had been forming.

He tossed the vile fastening aside and stooped, intending to seal the punctures against additional blood loss or contamination.  Due to the nail’s shape, the shafts had neither pierced nor crushed the spinal cord; yet the temporary relief Yutaka felt upon realizing this quickly gave way to nausea as the dragon’s tail shifted and he spotted the deep gouge.  The dragon’s assailant had evidently tried to chop the tail completely off.  Whatever weapon they’d used had only cut about half-way through, but the sight of exposed bone and shredded muscle was too much for Yutaka. 

He stumbled as far away as he could manage before losing what remained of the meagre contents of his stomach into a thick clump of grass, tears once more streaming down his face.  The dragon made a low, worried sound, and within seconds soft footsteps approached him.

“What happened?” asked Hisashi.

“T-tail,” replied Yutaka with a feeble gesture toward the immobile appendage.

Hisashi swore violently when he saw the gaping wound.

“When I catch up to the whoresons who did this, I will hurl them from the highest summit and revel as their useless carcasses splatter on the rocks below.”

That mental image did nothing to lessen Yutaka’s queasiness or his misgivings about the sort of person Hisashi was, even if there _was_ a part of Yutaka that felt splattering on the rocks was too merciful a death for anyone who participated in the torture of another living being.  He wiped his mouth on the back of his sleeve, watching suspiciously as Hisashi knelt to examine the injury more thoroughly.

“Axe wound, I’d say,” deduced Hisashi, “Dull blade too, by the look of it.  I suppose we should be grateful for that in a way, else it might have shattered the processes and left us picking out bone shards on top of everything else.”

The slashes might just as easily have been inflicted by a sword as by an axe for all Yutaka could tell, but he appreciated Hisashi’s obvious familiarity with anatomical structure.

“Yes, reassembling bones fragment by fragment is a tedious, painful undertaking,” Yutaka agreed.  “And he’s in enough pain already, I’m sure, despite the healing I did earlier.”

Hisashi looked as if he were about to say something when the dragon gave a short, rattling cough.  He rolled his eyes.

“Once again, I’m being dispatched.  I’ll toss some ginger in his water to take the edge off the inflammation, then come help you with his feet.”

“Turmeric or cloves tend to work better for animals,” Yutaka suggested, sitting back on his heels.  “If you have any, that is.  I know I’m completely out at the moment.  Haven’t had much time for collecting and drying things recently.”

Hisashi paused, a slow smile spreading across his face.

“A fellow herbalist.  Excellent!  Unfortunately I brought no turmeric with me, but I may have a few cloves rattling around somewhere.”

The older mage disappeared once more to provide the creature the promised spice-infused drink, and Yutaka seated himself on the ground, cradling the half-severed limb in his lap.  Fighting the returning nausea, he let his eyes flutter closed and focused his entire being on pouring healing into the gaping wounds. Such intense, sustained use of magic would typically have drained him of all energy, but treating his dragon brought to Yutaka its own form of rejuvenation.  It was as if by restoring the beast’s vitality, he was restoring balance to all of Nature.  He felt quite invigorated.

“Look how well that gash is closing already.  You’ve a healer’s touch,” praised Hisashi upon his return.

“Most of the magic I studied related to the health and wellbeing of animals,” explained Yutaka, feeling shy at the compliment.  “Even before I realized I was a magic wielder, I hoped to spend my life with animals in one way or another.  My father bred horses, you see.”

“Mm, that should come in useful when we’re finally rid of these confounded chains.  What do you think – set the feet free and then see if he’s able to shift himself out of the rest?”

Yutaka cocked his head to one side.

“Possibly.  There is an awful lot of dried blood beneath the abdomen, so we may have more cuts like this one to contend with, and there could be arrows or other spear points like the one you found lodged behind his foreleg.  But either way, I suppose the feet should be our next priority.”

With a curt nod, Hisashi gave the metal spike protruding from the dragon’s right rear foot a sharp tap with his knuckle, extended his arms in front of himself palms-down, and began to hum.  The entire display seemed overly-theatrical to Yutaka; that is, until the spike rocketed up into the air and landed with a clang on the top of a heap of discarded manacles several meters away.

“How did you shift it so quickly!” he exclaimed in amazement, “And with no lever or anything.”

“Levers won’t do for this sort of thing,” explained Hisashi with only the hint of a smirk.  “You can feel the evil suffusing the iron, can’t you?”

“Absolutely,” nodded Yutaka grimly.  “Makes my skin crawl to touch it.”

“It was designed to withstand tremendous force.  But fortunately for us, the Earth loathes it just as much as you do.  She wants to be rid of this wickedness.  It doesn’t take much coaxing at all to get Her to expel these pins.”

Yutaka hadn’t given much thought to Nature’s opinion, being too engrossed by the dragon’s life and health.  However, now that Hisashi had pointed it out, the younger mage could easily sense the outrage at such wanton pursuit of destruction.

“One more.  Then we’ll be able to shift him back to the caves.”

“How will we do that?” queried Yutaka as Hisashi repeated the process on the dragon’s fourth paw.

“Levitation.  Between the two of us we should be able to manoeuvre him smoothly without his needing to expend much energy.”

Yutaka was unconvinced.

“I’ve never attempted levitation with anything so… sizeable before.”

He cast a quick glance toward his dragon to be sure his statement hadn’t been taken as an insult.  It turned from the water bucket to acknowledge his gaze, eyes sparkling with understanding and good humour.

“Oh, size doesn’t matter, even if he is an oversized brute,” declared Hisashi as he gave the dragon’s haunch a hefty pat.

“It doesn’t?  Fighting so hard against gravity, I would have thought….”

“Ah, but you’re considering it the wrong way around.  If we were trying to lift an elephant from the ground or a whale out of the sea, _that_ would be fighting against Nature.  But we...,” Hisashi paused abruptly, as if he’d been about to say something else.  “We know that dragons can and do fly.  It’s no more against Nature for him to take to the air than it is for eagles to soar or the clouds themselves to float through the sky.  We’re simply channelling the energy to assist him in accomplishing it.”

“I suppose that’s one way of looking at it,” allowed Yutaka slowly.  “Where are these caves you keep mentioning?”

Hisashi turned and pointed toward the summit.

“See that dark line that looks like a crack running through the rock just below the snow line?”

Yutaka squinted.

“I… no, I don’t think so,” he denied after a minute.

“Well, anyway it’s up there.  Looks much farther than it actually is.  It shouldn’t take us long to get there.”

The dragon made a series of staccato grunts.

“Mmm, good point.  Can you manage a shrouding spell large enough to cover all three of us?” Hisashi asked Yutaka.

“Are we being watched, do you think?”

Yutaka scanned the landscape with sudden misgivings.

“Most likely not, but a bit of added precaution to avoid any unwanted observers seeing which direction we take can’t do any harm.  I should be able to handle the bulk of the levitation if you can maintain a shroud and just steady his back end occasionally if it happens to….”

The dragon hissed.

“It _is_ your back end.  What else would you like me to call it?” Hisashi retorted impatiently.  “I swear to Mother, are you always this sensitive when he’s around?”

As far as Yutaka could tell, the ‘he’ to whom Hisashi was referring was Yutaka himself, which made no sense at all, considering the dragon hadn’t been acquainted with the younger mage long enough to develop any habits that might be reckoned ‘always’.  He really wished he could understand what the dragon was saying as easily as Hisashi seemed to.  That thought sent a spark of envy flaring through him, which he hastily pushed aside.

“What should we do with all of these irons?”

Hisashi kicked at a length of chain and frowned.

“Leave them for now, I suppose.  No more damage could be done with them tonight.”

 

It became evident as Yutaka followed Hisashi’s twisting route why he’d never  noticed any cave.  Eventually Yutaka could see the dark crack Hisashi had described cutting across the rock face, but even as they drew steadily nearer, it remained just that: a thin crack no more than a few centimetres wide.  It wasn’t until they were squarely facing the cave entrance that the tall narrow gap appeared to be anything more than shadow.

“Here we are,” Hisashi declared unnecessarily as he ushered them in.

The narrow aperture opened into an equally narrow but low-ceilinged recess that might quickly have become too claustrophobic had it not turned a corner to a vast empty cavern beyond.  There were several holes in its roof letting in long shafts of sunset, which were cleverly redirected throughout the space by a series of polished mirrors, bathing the entire chamber in fiery copper.  The floor and walls were worn smooth as ice, and though the air was still save for the particles of dust glistening in the beams of light, the scent was not foul or stagnant.  The sound of their shoes bounced off every surface, and from somewhere to Yutaka’s left came the faint echo of rushing water.

As he crossed into this wide, warm room, the tingle of some ancient magic brushed over him, a protective curtain that Yutaka surmised would bar any uninvited guest from the dragon’s den.  He wondered momentarily who had cast the spells.  They were far too old to be Hisashi’s work, and nothing in dragon lore suggested that the species were magic wielders.

“We could go farther along to the…,” Hisashi stopped and glanced toward the dragon.  “No, I think we’d best remain in this first chamber for the night.  The water’s close, and we’ll have a full moon’s light to aid us.”

“Whatever you think best,” Yutaka agreed as he helped to ease the dragon down onto its feet.

The transfer of weight caused it to groan in discomfort, and at once Yutaka went to its head, murmuring words of sympathy and consolation as he stroked its scaly cheek.  Neither of them particularly noticed how Hisashi had vanished, until he was reappearing with three large black cauldrons filled to the brim with water.

“One to drink, one to clean, one to cook.  I hope you like crayfish.”

Yutaka turned away so that Hisashi wouldn’t see him grimace.  Travellers had to make do with available ingredients, and he didn’t want to appear ungrateful.

“Where should we light the fire?” he asked instead.

“I’ll take care of that,” answered Hisashi.  “Why don’t you go through your pack and mine here,” he gestured at a previously unnoticed satchel laid to one side, “And set out anything that might be useful.  By rights, we ought to just clean and heal each injury as we go, but I doubt either of us has the stamina for that.  On the other hand, we’re unlikely to have enough supplies to poultice everything.”

“Divide and conquer?” suggested Yutaka.  “Heal the most severe injuries, the deepest cuts, the ones most likely to open up again or prone to infection, then poultice the rest?  We can always space the healing out over several days if we need to.”

“Will you be staying that long?” Hisashi asked.

Yutaka’s face flushed.

“I… wouldn’t want to overstay my welcome,” he demurred.  “But my conscience wouldn’t let me leave until I was sure he was going to make a full recovery.”

The dragon pressed its snout against Yutaka’s chest, and he brushed a kiss to its bony brow.  He then set to work as Hisashi had recommended, sorting their meagre store of herbs while the other mage struck up a fire and settled two of the cauldrons to heat.

 

For a while, they worked in relative silence.  Hisashi focused on repairing the dragon’s injured forelimbs so that it would have greater mobility, while Yutaka carefully removed each barb and bolt embedded in the dragon’s jaw and gums.  Eventually, his mind began to wander until finally curiosity got the better of him.

“You’re a magic wielder,” he began with the obvious.

“I am,” Hisashi acknowledged, amusement playing across his handsome features.  “As are you.”

“How long since you completed your studies?”

“I’m _still_ studying,” Hisashi replied.  “Even a Master has new things to learn.”

“Well, yes, but I meant, since you finished your apprenticeship.”

“I couldn’t say precisely – centuries, it feels like,” he gave a quiet laugh.  “I’m not sure I could even tell you exactly how old I am at the moment.  The seasons run together until you forget where one year stops and another starts.”

Yutaka found this rather preposterous; Hisashi certainly didn’t look old enough to be forgetting his own age.  Still, that wasn’t what actually interested him.

“Are there… others of our kind nearby?” inquired Yutaka hopefully.  “I’ve been… looking for somewhere safe.”

 “I’m not sure there _are_ any safe places for mages in this country any longer,” Hisashi gave him a bitter smile.

Disappointing though it was, Yutaka wasn’t much surprised by that observation.

“I’ve heard rumours, of course,” Hisashi continued, “About those who defied the queen’s decree making a place of refuge, but nothing substantive as to location, I’m afraid.  Was there some reason you thought to search here in the White Mountains?”

“Sensei instructed us to seek the protection of the dragons.” 

Yutaka shot a rueful look toward the creature. 

“Guess he didn’t foresee this particular complication.”

The dragon had rolled over onto its side, and though its eyes were still slightly open, the way its breathing had slowed and evened out told Yutaka that the exhausted beast would soon be fast asleep.

“Is our talking keeping you awake, Oh-sama?” he murmured apologetically, petting over the dragon’s neck.

“Hide.”

Yutaka glanced at Hisashi, who had gone over to the fire for more water.

“What’s that?”

“His name.  Hide.  Well, Hidehiko in full, but he prefers to shorten it.”

“He seems very communicative with you.”

Yutaka couldn’t quite keep the envy from his voice.

“Hardly that,” Hisashi shook his head.  “A good portion of dragons’ communication is too low a frequency for human ears to hear, although you’ll be able to feel the vibrations if you are touching him.  He hears you fine, though, so feel free to keep chatting.”

“ _You_ don’t seem to have much difficulty understanding him, if he told you his name.”

“Well, I’ve known him since I was a child,” explained Hisashi with a mysterious smile.  “I grew up in these mountains you see. Shall we see how much of this we can complete before the soup boils?”

Learning that Hisashi had been raised in the White Mountains really sparked more questions than it answered, but Yutaka got the impression that Hisashi wasn’t going to provide any further details.

“Yes, we should,” he concurred.  “Then we can eat while we wait for the moon to rise.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **1)** As my dragons aren't based on any fandom-specific variety, I've had the liberty to pick and choose which characteristics I want. These are mostly of the Japanese dragon variety - long snake-like bodies, three-toed, no wings - although they aren't associated with water in the same way Asian dragons would be. In addition to the traditional horns, I've given my dragons two pair of tail spikes, similar to a [stegosaurus](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/15/Stegosaurus_tail.JPG).  
>  **2)** In herbal medicine traditions, ginger is an anti-inflammatory, and clove (particularly clove oil) used as a mild analgesic. Turmeric, also in the ginger family, is thought to have anti-inflammatory properties as well. I've no idea whether animals would respond in the same way people would, but as this is AU, we can pretend.  
>  **3)** The [processes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Process_\(anatomy\)) Hisashi is talking about are the bits of bone that stick out on either side of the vertebrae.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More gruesome-y bits. You've been warned.

They worked diligently through the night until the interlude just before dawn when the moon, like the sun before her, disappeared below the western horizon and the cave fell into inky shadows.  Hisashi murmured to Yutaka that he was going to take a short rest and would resume again in a few hours when light returned.  The fire burned lower, and despite his intention to continue right on, Yutaka eventually drifted off to sleep as well, nestled in the hollow between the dragon’s shoulder and jaw.

In the pine forest below, the tramp of marching feet set the thick layers of mist swirling between wide dark trunks and dew-drenched rocks.

 

Yutaka came awake with a start, heart thundering in his chest as he searched around the cavern wildly.  Where he was and why he was there came back to him almost at once, and though nothing appeared out of the ordinary in the dimness, he couldn’t shake the uneasiness – no, it was outright fear – that had jolted him from his weary slumber.  He lightly brushed a hand over the dragon’s jaw, reassuring himself that the beast was still resting peacefully.  Then he scanned the gloom for signs of Hisashi.  The older mage was nowhere to be found, and although Yutaka told himself that it was probably for no other reason than a full bladder, he still couldn’t relax.

Then he heard the voices: soft and indistinct in the distance.  It could have just been some of the travellers he’d passed the previous day coming back to inspect whether the pass was unblocked; it might have been residents from a nearby village or shepherds seeking a new pasture for their flocks to graze.  Yet something in the environment told him this intrusion spelled danger.  Silently as he could, Yutaka eased himself away from the dragon’s side and made his way out of the cave, creeping along the path until he reached a spot with an unobstructed view of the field below.

Soldiers.

Yutaka counted eight of them clustered around the empty manacles.  He crawled closer, listening intently for any clues as to what they planned to do.

“Fan out and search,” the leader was ordering grimly.  “It will be all of our necks if we return to the palace and tell them it _escaped_.”

“Couldn’t have gotten far,” one of the others sneered contemptuously, “Not given the state we left it.”

Rage flooded through Yutaka.  The group culpable for driving him from his sanctuary of knowledge, his home, threatening friends and mentors he’d come to think of as a second family, were _also_ to blame for trying to murder his dragon.  Atrocities both committed under the banner and apparent sanction of the Queen. 

_How dare they!  How dare she!_

“But there’s no trail of blood leading away,” a third replied.  “So it must have… f-flown somehow.”

Yutaka could hear the way that man’s voice quavered with trepidation.  Several of the others raised their eyes uneasily towards the clouds.

 “I _knew_ some of us should have stayed,” snarled the first man, pacing back and forth.  “The Captain’s injuries weren’t so severe that he needed all twelve of us to carry him down to the village.”

“Oh yeah, then why didn’t you tell him so?” retorted the sardonic second man.

_Twelve?_   Yutaka stiffened.  He’d definitely counted only eight soldiers.  Where were the other four?  Had they stayed behind in the village with the injured Captain, or were they…?

At that moment a bone-rattling shriek pierced the air.  It was similar to the high whistling Yutaka had heard his dragon making the previous day, only a thousand times louder when unhindered by a muzzle and amplified by every jagged face of the mountain peaks.  The heads of all of the soldiers swivelled upward; even the leader spun around, fumbling at his belt for his sword.

“I _told_ you that monster would have a mate!” someone cried.

There was a mighty rush of wind, another ear-splitting screech, and suddenly a glistening dragon came plunging down into their midst, razor-sharp fangs and claws exposed.  It was a breath-taking spectacle.  This dragon was slightly smaller than Hide; and where Hide’s coils were polished obsidian, its scales were blindingly iridescent white, like a million shards of mother-of-pearl.  Even its horns and the spikes on its tail had a translucent quality, as if the creature were the embodiment of an icy avalanche.

And just as deadly.

The soldier it had landed on was trampled under its massive feet, and it snapped out at another as it grabbed up two more in its lethal clutches before hurling itself into the air once again.  It streaked higher and higher into the sky, raining blood down on the soldiers below before heaving the two hapless men against some rocky crags with all its might.  With a scream of triumph, it wheeled and dove once more. 

By this time, the rest of the troop had recovered their senses and were prepared for the attack, spears and shields at the ready.  The dragon didn’t seem to care; it tore through the wooden spear handles and metal of the shields as if they were mere paper.

A second loud roar from the direction of the caves caused Yutaka to turn just in time to see his own magnificent dragon launch itself into the atmosphere to join in the fray.  Its movements weren’t quite as agile as the white dragon’s, no doubt still significantly pained by its remaining injuries, but even so there was no denying its immense power.  Yutaka could imagine how awe-inspiring it would be when completely healed and scrubbed clean of any residual grime. 

They made such a formidable pair, the onyx king and his snowy mate as they twined and twirled through the heavens meting out vengeance.  For some reason, Yutaka found something about Hide’s having a mate incredibly upsetting.  He told himself it was only because of his ineffectiveness.  A battle against _one_ dragon was gruelling enough; against _two_ the men didn’t stand a chance.  And with the one-sided battle so completely under the dragons’ control, there was nothing for Yutaka to do.  Not that he’d have been able to contribute much if they _had_ needed assistance; he wasn’t a warrior and felt sure he’d have only ended up in the way.

Feeling out of sorts, he shuffled back toward the cave, intending to stoke the fire and attempt some sort of shellfish-free breakfast.  Maybe Hisashi would have returned from wherever he’d gone by now; that is, if he hadn’t run away like a coward.  Or attempted to betray them to the Queen’s underlings.  No, that was an unfair thought after everything the older mage had done to help.  Yutaka chided himself for mentally taking his sullen mood out on an innocent bystander.

He had reached a small rise in the path when movement on a nearby rock drew his attention.  It was one of the unaccounted-for soldiers with his bow drawn, aiming carefully down toward the battle.  A strangely shaped pouch dangled beneath the arrow, and something about the colour reminded Yutaka of the inflaming powder that had been cast into Hide’s eyes.

“Oh no you don’t!”

With a snap of his fingers, the pouch burst open, enveloping the archer in a haze of umber dust.  The soldier let out a strangled gurgle and began coughing violently, evidently losing control of the bow string; the arrow sailed out of the henna cloud toward Yutaka, who gave a surprised yelp as he skipped aside. 

In an instant, the black dragon was upon Yutaka’s attacker, felling him with a mighty blow of its tail then crushing him beneath its body as easily as a person might smash a mosquito.  It was a horrific sound, and a dispiriting burden to know that the man’s life had had been taken for _his_ sake. 

Naturally, Yutaka had wanted the soldiers driven away, but he hadn’t particularly wanted anyone to _die_.  Knowing that he ought to thank Hide for intervening on his behalf yet not feeling equal to expressing gratitude for killing someone, Yutaka turned away before the dust settled enough to expose the body and hurried back down the path toward the grassland. 

The pearlescent dragon spun around aggressively upon hearing his approach, obviously mistaking Yutaka for another attacker.  At once the young mage fell back from the creature’s menacing snarl and malevolent sapphire glare.  Hide, who had followed like a dog trailing after its master, gave a low warning growl.

To Yutaka’s astonishment, the smaller dragon shimmered like a mirage on the horizon and disappeared, leaving Hisashi in its place, his face dour and splattered with blood.  Ignoring Yutaka’s open-mouthed gawking, the older healer turned his attention to the carcasses of the soldiers littering the grass, roaming among them and kneeling occasionally to examine a face or a piece of armour.

“No one I recognize,” he addressed Hide.  “The armour’s genuine, though.  So either the Gaul have become brazen enough to start targeting the military in order to pass across our borders in stolen uniforms…,” Hisashi paused, frown deepening.  “Or else my warning to Takuro was right, and this situation is far more urgent than anyone realizes.”

Cold dread settled on Yutaka’s shoulders.  He didn’t know who Takuro was or what warning Hisashi might have given, but there seemed little doubt that sinister forces were at work.  Had been for months, perhaps even years.

Striking about for something else to occupy his thoughts besides death and impending doom, Yutaka left the corpses and made his way toward the area in which he’d left his cloak and obi the previous day.  He found them on the opposite side of a large patch of deep red flowers Yutaka was certain hadn’t been there before.

“W-when did all of these higanbana sprout up?” Yutaka wondered aloud, caressing one of the ruby petals.

“That would be from all the blood,” explained Hisashi only half-listening.  “Speaking of blood, I can still smell it.  Are you bleeding again, Nii-san?”

Hisashi strode toward the black dragon, who shied away as if reluctant to admit further injury.  Hisashi was not fooled.

“You are, aren’t you!  Probably reopened half the scabs that formed overnight, too.  This is why you should have just let me handle things.  Come here and let me see.”

The mage reached out only to have the disgruntled dragon snap uncooperatively at his outstretched hand.

“Fine!  Have your precious mate tend to it.  Or putrefy for all I care.  See if I ever risk my neck again for someone so monumentally obdurate.”

Yutaka couldn’t make out everything Hisashi was mumbling under his breath as he aimed a jet of pale blue flame at the nearest body, but the younger man definitely caught the phrase ‘insufferable ass’.

“ _Are_ you bleeding again?” Yutaka asked the dragon as he wandered back to the beast’s side.

It ducked its head bashfully.

“Overtaxed yourself.  Ah well, now you know, and maybe you’ll be more reasonable when we tell you to take things easy for the next several days,” scolded Yutaka with a soft sigh.  “Will you show me?”

The dragon reluctantly curled its upper lip to expose its bleeding gums.

“That’s what you get for trying to eat nasty soldiers.”

Hide’s grimace of disgust made Yutaka smile despite himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **1)** So now we get the point where I feel comfortable admitting that this story was originally supposed to be my fill for the [Fantasy](https://vkyaoi.tumblr.com/private/179898069960/tumblr_phvwkfcDcN1x3atgk) moodboard and at least part of quote 30, X Japan's "La Venus":
>
>> Breathe, keep breathing my love  
> No reason to let the world take your life tonight
> 
>   
> I suppose it is still theoretically _possible_ that I might get this finished before the end of the year so that it will count, but... yeah, not holding my breath.  
>  **2)** The types of arrows I'm thinking of would be similar to ancient Chinese [fire arrows](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_arrow) only with something other than gunpowder attached, obviously.  
>  **3)** While I haven't found any myths mentioning [spider lilies](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lycoris_radiata) springing from blood, there are numerous Greek myths involving other flowers: red anemones from Adonis, hyacinths from Hyacinthus, and violets from Attis, Cybele's consort. 


End file.
